reminiscing, with myself

Went over to my childhood home, where my Brother Gene still lived until his death. Need to try and clear personal things out. I begged my siblings to go with me for the last month since Gene's death, they kept saying there is nothing there that they want.
This wasn't my point for going, the house is in foreclosure and I hate to see his personal things out on the curb to be picked through by what ever pickers might drive by. I really needed to do this, sort of a healing process for me. No matter what has happened in his life, he still needs some kind of respect and damn it I will give it to him!
The whole ordeal was extremely emotional,100% heartbreaking to really have a look around and see how he had been living.
I kept putting the house visit off because there are two squatters living there.
But at final last I got my brother Glenn, son Pat,young Brents Mom- Denise and old neighbor Bob.
One squatter in the house is sleeping, he never woke up and we dug around in closets for 3 1/2 hours.
I fear I have become a hoarder, there were things I wanted of my Mothers but I knew I had no place for stuff, things really not even worth saving anyway, but I am so sentimental.
I filled boxes of papers and photos to look through at home later.
Packed up clothes for Salvation army. Had the fellas load up Moms singer sewing machine I plan on fixing it up maybe as a computer desk, Loaded up the old cedar chest for Jan.
 Denise  didn't want the stonewear Dishes she got from her Grandmother, so I took that thinking maybe I would sell them.
Got some music instruments for Pat to do what ever he wanted. Then got the hell out of there because the whole ordeal was getting to me, I just needed out.

                    Do you think I'll ever really clean this machine up?

 This cigar can dated 1954 was my favorite thing to play with as a youngster mainly because it was chalk full of random buttons, Mom would cut buttons off of stained blouses, dresses, shirts and pop them into the button can, many buttons here still have bits of material stuck to the backs of them. I do not sew buttons on shirts, but like any collection, it is unique and I am happy to have it.

 Just like myself, Mom saved school books and here is one lovely picture I drew (a bit ashamed because the paper said 4th grade.

Just a little chat

Sand Castles!!

Spray Grandma??

k

I hate those meecees to pieces!!

All winter long we fed the birds I got many good close up photos and had  great time watching the birds BUT boy are they ever messy. Much more than I realized.
The sloppy birds would drop seeds by the pounds all winter long, a great place for a new varmint to hang out. MICE.
I really don't mind them being out in the yard but they are so tiny, I freak out they may find a way to get into the house. So I gotta quit feeding the birds and get rid of the mice.
PETA ppl, screw you. er, anyway Dad and I had a contest to see who would make the best mouse trap, neither of our traps caught anything. So I purchased mouse traps but the mice were so small they got the bait without tripping the trap. (see video)
I then bought the sticky traps that worked really good sometimes caught 2 at a time. BUT I don't recommend using them, it's really a horrible way to go, it doesn't kill them instantly like a snap trap might.
Dad had to put our catch out of it's misery, This is something we will never do again.  The decision is to let the mice alone, get rid of any seed they would be coming around for and soon enough they will move out.

Visit from my babies then got other stuff done

 Lilyana was the first to think of climbing the fence, she is fearless! Then Amelia and Marley followed. These babies of mine sure were cute together

 Dawn and the kids didn't get one nutritional meal at this visit home, so sorry but dang it was too hot to cook

 Right here is the *other stuff done* Jan and I settled with Michigan Memorial Park and here is the final resting place, just a few feet from our Grandparents. We will wait until the head stone is finished before we bury Gene. They said in about 6 to 8 weeks

                                                         This is Genes' new address

Jan and I took a short comfort walk on a path at Huron park, until the mosquitoes' started to attack

Yard work

Trying once again to get a garden going, I am finding out real quick it takes work, constant work!  I don't think I'll keep this up the whole summer so my hat's off to all you gardeners out there.  Weeds come up daily, if you want green grass u need to toss out some weed n feed, water, mow then start all over again.
Why again is it, we try and grow grass only to cut it down anyway?
One good thing is our new Aqua duct, seems to work pretty good, we sat cheering on our front porch yesterday while the rain down poured and our aqueduct did it's job and sent the flood into the street. But it can't be used as a side walk to my car, Paddy called it a Mountaineer type of walk if you use it.
We need to climb up and clean the gutters big time, the water was pouring out over the edge and washing out the new grass seeds, if it were clean the new down spout that goes underground and out into the yard farther down would have worked nicely.
I am scared to climb up there so we gotta find some brave young fella to do it for me.
This video is 6 minutes long showing the before and after (there's barely a difference)
The foundation of the porch is going to get a new coat of paint real soon.
(Update)  Gutters are done, the ole boy was the brave one:-)